Brantley Elementary School, Selma AL

Original Research by School Decision on Brantley Elementary School

Brantley Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through sixth grade as a regular public school within the Dallas County school system. Located on Water Avenue in Selma, it sits in a small city that has experienced substantial population loss over several decades. Selma, the Dallas County seat, saw its peak population in the 1960s and has lost roughly a third of that number since, due largely to the decline of agriculture and manufacturing. The city is one of Alabama’s poorest, and the downtown historic district along the Alabama River anchors a heritage tourism economy built around the city’s central role in the civil rights movement. The Edmund Pettus Bridge and Brown Chapel AME Church are defining landmarks. No large-scale residential development was identified in the city, and population estimates continued a downward trend after the 2020 census.

The school’s enrollment is small for a school serving its grade band, and the student body is predominantly African-American, with a white student population that is much smaller but still the next largest group. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is not a charter or magnet school. No recent district-level changes affecting families were found in publicly reported sources.

State testing results from the ACAP assessment in the 2024-25 school year showed overall proficiency rates that were low compared to state averages. In reading and language arts, proficiency was strongest in the fifth and sixth grades, with moderate results at those levels, while fourth grade lagged behind. In mathematics, proficiency was in the single digits for every tested grade level from third through sixth. Science results were also low in the fourth grade. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed it above the midpoint among the two districts in Dallas County, though that set is very small. Results for an eighth-grade tested group were suppressed or showed zero proficient students, and those test-takers likely represent a small number of students placed at that level. A single year of data was available, so no trend is yet visible.

Because the school serves only up to sixth grade, it does not have a graduation rate. Data on chronic absenteeism, teacher staffing ratios, and course access were not reported in the available records. A parent looking to understand student support resources beyond what is visible in test scores would want to inquire directly with the school about those areas.

The housing market in the area reflects the economic context. Home values are well below state and national benchmarks, and an estimated monthly mortgage payment for a typical home would be relatively modest. Rents have been rising nationally, and the 30-year mortgage rate at the time of this writing was above six percent. The area has an unemployment rate that is above the national figure, and median household income is below the national median.

For a family considering Brantley Elementary, the school offers a small, community-based setting in a city with a deep and specific civic history. The academic data points to significant challenges, particularly in mathematics, that warrant a direct conversation with school leadership about instructional approaches and supports. The absence of data on staffing, attendance, and program offerings means a family would be making the decision with an incomplete picture on those fronts. The school’s placement within Dallas County, a district for which no recent parent-relevant changes were found, suggests stability in operations but also a limited frame of comparison.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 318%

School 18% · District 20% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 47%

School 7% · District 10% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 16% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 68%

School 8% · District 10% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 1% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 53% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 33% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 43% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 37% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 35% · ▼ 35 pts below district

▼ 52 pts below state median

Science

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 15% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 8100%

School 100% · District 19% · ▲ 81 pts above district

▲ 65 pts above state median

This schoolDallas County, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income8%Higher-income0%8 pp gap